65th Annual Dinner Meeting
Thursday, February 17, 2022, at 6:30 pm
Knights of Columbus Family Center
3600 W Purdue, Muncie IN.

Featured Speaker – Jeff Boyer, Davis Purdue Ag Center
catered by Grand Grilling

Tickets $10 each. Please make reservations by February 10, 2022 with check or cash only.

by mail: Del. Co. Soil & Water Cons. District,
3641 N Briarwood Lane, Muncie IN 47304
or stopping by the office.

Please make checks payable to Del. Co. SWCD

* Please note - Due to COVID, we will follow social distancing guidelines and request face masks be worn.*

2021 Delaware County Tree Sale!

Delaware County SWCD is excited to announce our 2021 tree sale! Information about our tree sale (including species and sizes) can be found in our Tree Sale Brochure which can be downloaded at the following link:

Tree Sale Brochure

Tree Sale Brochure - Delaware Co.pdf

Here are some important things to keep in mind:
• Order Form with payment is due to our office Friday, August 13, 2021.
• We accept cash or check only.
• You can mail or bring your order to 3641 N Briarwood Lane (USDA Service Center) Muncie IN 47304 Hours: M-F 8:30am-2:00pm
• We cannot control the inventory at our various nurseries. If an item is out of stock we will gladly refund your money.
• The Delaware County SWCD cannot offer guarantees on any item in our tree sale.
• If you know of a tree, shrub, or flower you would like and don’t see it listed, ask us! We can also get larger sizes if you wish for something a bit older. The prices will change accordingly.
• You do not have to be a Delaware County resident to order trees. 

Where do you pick up your order?
• All trees are to be picked up at our office at the address above. 

When do you pick up your orders?
• All items can be picked up at the following times: Thursday, September 16th 9am-2pm Friday, September 17th 9am-2pm
• If you are unable to pick up during these times, please make arrangements with us!! 

64th Annual Dinner Meeting
Thursday, March 11, 2021, 6:30 pm
Knights of Columbus
3600 W Purdue, Muncie IN.

Please join us to enjoy dinner, friendly conversation, and door prizes. There will be a brief business meeting to elect one supervisor (see nominee on page 3) and review 2020 activities. 

Our speaker for the evening will be Janet McCabe, Director of the Environmental Resilience Institute. Tickets for the evening are $10 per person and can be purchased by stopping by our office or mailing a check to us at 3641 N Briarwood Lane, Muncie IN 47304.

We ask that reservations be made by Thursday, March 4, 2021 (see newsletter page 6 for reservation form). Please feel free to contact Becky in our office if you have any questions, 765-747-5531 ext. 3 or delcoswcd@gmail.com. Look forward to seeing you there!!

This meeting is being planned as an in-person meeting with the hopes COVID-19 is well under control by this date. Please note: we may still social distance and request face masks be worn. If COVID-19 is not in control, other arrangements for the meeting will be made. 

Delaware Co. Invasive Plant Project Meetings

Monthly meetings for the Delaware Co. Invasive Plant Project (DIPP) have been planned for the second Wednesday of every month beginning at 4:00 pm. There is no charge to participate and network. You may be helping plan educational events, workshops, and the future of the group. DIPP is the local group of a state wide Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA). The focus of the group is education regarding and eradication of invasive species. Due to COVID-19, the meetings are currently being held virtually, but will return to in-person once it is considered safe to do so. For more information or to participate in the meetings, please contact us at 765-747-5531 ext. 3 or delcoswcd@gmail.com. You may also contact the group via our "Facebook" page.

Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District
Receives State Association "District Showcase" Award

On October 28, 2020, the Indiana State Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) announced Delaware County was selected as one of three "District Showcase" awards for 2020.

The "District Showcase" awards are awarded annually to Indiana Districts who demonstrate exceptional work and are making a difference in their local communities and beyond.

We were recognized with this award for our participation in projects that monitor water quality and remove or modify dams along the White River in Muncie. In collaboration with several partners, these projects have improved recreational activity and safety, wildlife habitat and the aquatic environment.

Josh Gruver has served on the Board of Supervisors for the Delaware Co. SWCD since 2013. He served as Vice Chairman for two years and as Chairman for the last two years. We have appreciated his leadership, guidance, insights, and perspectives. Josh is stepping down as a Supervisor to concentrate on his duties and responsibilties at Ball State University and pursue other interests. We certainly hope he visits us as an Associate Supervisor!!!

THANK YOU JOSH!!

Josh Gruver has served on the Board of Supervisors for the Delaware Co. SWCD since 2013. He served as Vice Chairman for two years and as Chairman for the last two years. We have appreciated his leadership, guidance, insights, and perspectives. Josh is stepping down as a Supervisor to concentrate on his duties and responsibilties at Ball State University and pursue other interests. We certainly hope he visits us as an Associate Supervisor!!! 

IDEM GRANT RECIEVED

Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District has been awarded a 205j grant by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). This grant is for $145,000 for the development of a watershed management plan for the Upper White River watershed. The watershed area includes the Muncie Creek, Buck Creek, and Killbuck Creek watersheds in Randolph, Henry, Delaware, and Madison counties.

The watershed management plan is to include the development and execution of water quality monitoring and the creation and execution of an education and outreach program over a three year span. The water quality monitoring plan, known as a "Quality Assurance Project Plan" (QAPP), will be created to provide guidance for the monitoring activities at twenty-six site throughout the watershed. The education and outreach program will discuss and encourage behavorial changes within the community to reduce non-ponit source pollution in the watershed.

The Delaware Co. SWCD will be partnering with multiple foundations and organizations such as the

Muncie Bureau of Water Quality, Ball Brothers Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and the White River Alliance to complete the watershed management plan.

FREE Drinking Water Sampling

Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District is offering free drinking water sampling for residents of Delaware County. If samples are from a well, testing will be performed for bacteria, arsenic, lead, copper, and nitrates. If samples are from a public source, testing will only be for lead and copper. We are scheduling appointments now to resume this sampling once COVID is under control. Please contact us at 765-747-5531 ext 3 or delcoswcd@gmail.com to be put on our sampling list.

Delaware County SWCD Election of Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors consists of three elected supervisors and two appointed supervisors. These supervisors serve three year terms, encouraging conservation practices and activities throughout all of Delaware county. An individual of voting age or a representative of a firm, company, or corporation that owns or rents land/property located within the district/county may vote. (Eligible individuals also include the owner and tenant of the same land/property as well as any owner's or tenant's spouse.)

Nominee for the 2021 election is Del Brinson of Cowan. In addition to this nominee, nominations may be made from the floor during the election process at the District's Annual Meeting.

The election will be held during the District's Annual Meeting, March 11, 2021

The requirements to hold the position of elected supervisor for a Soil and Water Conservation District are stated in Indiana Code 14-32-4-1. These requirements include:

1. Must be an occupier of a tract of land that is located within the district;
2. Must maintain the individual's permanent residence within the district; and
3. Must be qualified by training and experience to perform the duties that this imposes on supervisors.

The nomination committee consists of one current SWCD Supervisor and two concerned citizens formed by Nov. 1 each year. This committee determines nominees suitable to be supervisors and forwards those names to the Indiana State Soil Board by Dec. 1 for approval.

Anyone interested in serving as a supervisor may contact our office to be considered by the next nomination committee. Please call 765-747-5531 ext. 3 or email: delcoswcd@gmail.com.

Delaware County SWCD Election of Supervisors

Del Brinson works as a Precision Agronomist for Advanced Agrilytics. In this role he works closely with his grower customers finding ways to improve overall yields in their operations. He does this by utilizing a combination of unique variable rate prescriptions for fertilizer, seeding, nitrogen, and pest management. Del has spent 21 years as a Certified Crop Advisor working in the ag business including time with Cargill in northwest Indiana as a crop consultant, agronomy sales with AgBest Coop in Gaston and 11+ years with Dekalb/Asgrow as a District Sales Manager in East Central Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University in 1999. He currently serves as a board member for Second Harvest Food Bank. Del and his wife, Jayne, and their two teenaged children live in the Cowan area.

Interested in being an Associate Supervisor?? 

Call our office at 765-747-5531 ext 3 or just stop in for one of our Board Meetings, scheduled on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 8:30 am - *Please call to confirm meeting times and location during the COVID pandemic. We do practice social distancing and encourage face mask precautions or we may meet virtually.

Plat Books

Delaware County Plat Books available $25.00/copy Full Color Spiral Bound

CONSERVATION PRACTICES AT WORK IN DELAWARE COUNTY SPOTLIGHT ON FOUR LANDOWNERS DOING THEIR PART FOR ALL OF US

Lauren Didier, our 2020 Summer Intern, had the opportunity to visit with three of these four landowners (below) to learn, and write, about their practices. Thank you to Lauren for her assistance this past summer.

JOE HAMILTON

Joe Hamilton is a producer farming approx. 2,500 acres, with his father John, in south central Delaware County. They produce corn and soybeans. The Hamilton operation implements conservation practices of no till, nutrient management, pest management, cover crops, and pollinator habitat enhancement.

As the practice name "no till" suggests, there is very little to no disturbance of the soil. Thus there is no disturbance to the organisms and micro-organisms living in the soil and no disburtance to the structure created in the soil. This creates "healthier" soil, improves water penetration, and reduces soil compaction and erosion.

Nutrient management utilizes soil tests to guide the use and application rate of fertilizers in the operation. This allows for the right nutrient source, at the right time, in the right place, at the right rate.

Pest management includes "scounting" fields to understand what pests (weeds or damaging insects) are present when, then treating only those areas indicated, as needed.

The practice of cover crops is another step in creating healthier soil, reducing compaction and erosion, and improving water penetration.

Planted in late fall, cover crops also "feed" the organisms and micro-organisms in the soil, increasing their quantity and activity. This increase creates a natural nutrient source for cash crops. Cover crops also stabilize nutrients in the soil over the winter, releasing them, as they die and decay, for the next cash crop. Another benefit of cover crops is weed suppression, reducing the need for herbicide use.

Joe's pollinator habitat is a site-specific plan for the improvement, restoration, or expansion of flower-rich habitat to support native and/or managed pollinators. Thirty percent of the planting is intended to attract Monarch butterflies, while the remaining is to attract other species of pollinators that are vital to the ecosystems and to promote biodiversity.

LANDESS FARMS

Landess Farms is operated by Jesse and Susan Landess, and their son Jeff, in southwest Delaware County. Landess Farms has been in operation for four generations,but has concentrated on specialty crops, ie: fruit and vegetables, for the past several years. Some of their crops are strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, sweet corn, and honey.

Landess' have implemented the conservation practice of high tunnel systems. High tunnel systems are plastic covered, metal ribbed structures used for growing plants. Similar in structure to green houses where plants are grown in pots or containers, in high tunnels the plants are grown directly in the soil under the structure.

Use of a high tunnel protects crops from wind, sun, excessive rainfall, and extends the growing season, improving plant health and vigor. High tunnels can be built with roll-up sides to enhance the control of the interior environment. Collecting rain runoff of the tunnel can be an irrigation source for the tunnel. 

Jesse feels weed and pest control is easier and the need for chemicals is less. With the increase of heavier, more frequent rain events, being able to control the watering of the plants inside the tunnel has been very important. They have seen an increase in production and believe their produce is a higher quality than before the tunnels. Jesse comments "We are thankful for the EQIP program and the funding support for the high tunnels.

JOHN NEWBY REFORESTATION

John Newby is a landowner who is dedicated to improving what he has. He purchased active agricultural land in northwest Delaware County and decided to establish a hardwood forest. The conservation practice he implemented is Tree/Shrub Establishment Code 612.

John's planting consisted of three thousand tree seedlings: 400 White Oak, 400 Red Oak, 400 Shumard Oak, 400 Bur Oak, 300 Black Walnut, 300 Swamp White Oak, 300 Shagbark Hickory, 300 Pin Oak, and 200 Tamarack across his 6.1 acres. Diversity is an essential part of a native planting.

Trees create/improve habitat for desired wildlife, control erosion, improve water quality through filtration of excess nutrients and other pollutants in runoff and groundwater,

sequester and store carbon, and provide for beneficial organisms and pollinators. John maintains a path through his small forest, allowing him and his wife to walk through and enjoy their peaceful, relaxing native "backyard". Since his planting, he has seen an influx of the Indiana bat, deer, birds, and rabbits. Additionally, he has noticed volunteer starts of tulip poplar and dogwoods, along with native habitat growth for pollinators.

Unfortunately, he has also noticed a few invasive plants beginning to grow. He will remove those and scout for new growth periodically. John knows controlling the invasives is an important part of growing a healthy forest.

STAN CLAMME

Stan Clamme is a beef producer located in north central Delaware County. He is currently raising approx. 200 head of cattle. His first conservation practice was to restrict his cattle from ravines and a creek by constructing fence and installing culverts. This reduces stress on the streambanks, reduces sediment disturbance, and stops the cattle from defecating in the stream.

Next, he installed approx. 2,500 feet of water pipelines and 3 water hydrants allowing his cattle to drink in each of his 3 grazing paddocks. This practice is to decentralize the water source for the cattle.

With those grazing paddocks, Stan is implementing the conservation practice of rotational grazing. This consists of letting the cattle graze in one paddock until the forage has been eaten down to a defined height, then moving them to the next paddock. This improves the forage health and strength by not over-grazing and allows the forage to grow back easier and quicker. Two years ago, he enhanced his paddocks by frost seeding red clover.

Stan has also practiced heavy use area (HUA) protection. He installed a concrete pad where he keeps and feeds his cattle when the ground in the paddocks is too soft or wet for them to be on. This practice reduces erosion, compaction, and protects water quaility. Most recently, Stan built a 72' x 60' covered and sided manure storage facility. This is a conservation practice that allows him to store the manure he removes from his HUA until conditions allow him to properly spread the manure on his fields. Stan believes the EQIP program is a "great opportunity that more producers should look into for their farms. It helps fund many practices that some producers just aren't aware of".

IDEM 319 GRANT UPDATE

This Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) grant is for the Mississinewa River Watershed. This watershed includes sections in Grant, Blackford, Delaware, Jay, Randolph, and Darke (OH) counties. It provides for water quality monitoring, cost share for best management (conservation) practices for producers, and public outreach and education. It began in May 2018 and ends May 2021.

The outreach and education has been workshops for homeowner septic systems, rainbarrel installations, and river cleanups. This part of the grant has been difficult to manage since COVID broke out. We hope to offer more educational opportunities before the grant ends.

The water monitoring sampling is being performed in three locations. Sites are located on Deer Creek in Grant county, Halfway Creek in Delaware county, and Bush Creek in Randolph county. Samples are analyzed locally by a private firm, then the data is uploaded to the Hoosier Riverwatch database. This is a public site and database. The website address is: www.hoosierriverwatch.com. Volunteers are welcome to participate in the sampling process. Please contact us at 765-747-5531 ext. 3 or delcoswcd@gmail.com to learn more.

Producers have received cost share for planting cover crops and forage and biomass, and we anticipate two will receive cost share for establishment of grassed waterways. All practices must be compliant with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) guidelines to receive cost share..

GEORGE AND FRANCES BALL FOUNDATION GRANT AWARD

Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District has been awarded a grant to fund ongoing Regional Watershed coordination efforts through a Regional Project Manager.

The Regional Project Manager will function in a supporting role to assist regional SWCDs in executing their strategic planning objectives. This will be accomplished by helping to support a group of diverse community members dedicated to enhancing, protecting, and rehabilitating the regional watersheds through education, participation, promotion, and implementation of on-the-ground practices designed to improve soil and water quality in the East Central Indiana Region.

DID YOU KNOW?

The average American family uses approx. 300 gallons of water per day at home.

Dripping faucets and spigots can waste as much as 2,700 gallons of water per year

Reducing your shower time by 2 minutes can save up to 1,800 gallons of water a year.

Turning the water off while you brush your teeth or while shaving, will save up to 4 gallons of water per minute.